The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In many work environments, managing telephone calls and written messages resulting from telephone calls that are missed, not completed, or received when the called party is unavailable, is a critical task. Successful workflow often depends on a person's ability to track numerous incoming and outgoing messages and quickly prioritize those calls that require immediate action. Traditional record-keeping methods include written phone logs, written memos or notes, or delegation to a third-party such as an administrative assistant. However, in instances where call volume is high or multiple phone lines need to be managed, there is a risk of misplacing or overlooking an important call. This scenario can result in missed business opportunities or frustrated clients whose calls are not returned in a timely fashion.
Many mobile phones, including smartphones, keep a historical log of calls received at and placed from that device. The record is organized according to the time the call occurred without an indication of priority, content or need for additional follow-up. Furthermore, call history is restricted to communication to/from that device and does not reflect the call history of other pertinent phone numbers associated with the business such as an office land line.